ORLANDO, Fla ?
"Star Wars" creator George Lucas thrilled lucky fans Saturday during a live,
on-stage interview on topics ranging from the origins of Darth Vader's name to
home-made droids.

The man behind the hugely popular "Star Wars" film franchise appeared
on-stage this morning before approximately 2,600 fans here at the Star Wars
Celebration V convention in the Orange County Convention Center. The interview,
appropriately titled "The Main Event," was moderated by TV comedian
Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central.

The hour-long candid conversation
drew attendees from all over the world. Devoted fans even camped out at the
convention center overnight for the chance to see Lucas in the flesh.

In addition to the audience at the
Chapin Theater, the interview was also simulcast live in six different
locations throughout the convention center. In total, over 7,400 had the
opportunity to experience the fan event.

"I make movies for fans," Lucas
said. "I make movies for people who like to go to the movies. And it's great to
be appreciated."

'Star Wars' secrets, homemade droids

Lucas thanked the fans for their
continued loyalty, and mused about what it feels like to be a part of the Star Wars Celebration experience.

In particular, he commented on the
"tragedy" of seeing such sophisticated homemade droids being driven around the
convention center, after he had spent years struggling to get R2-D2 to properly
function in front of the camera.

"It's one of the great ironies of
life," Lucas said. "I spent eight years trying to get R2 to work. Our droids
were so inadequate that we had to take fiberglass molds, put them on wheels and
hold them up with string."

Lucas also revealed the inspirations
behind some of the names featured in the series. The furry Ewok hunters of
Endor were named after a band of Native Americans, called Miwok, who live near
Lucas' Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, Calif.

The name "Darth Vader" is a
variation of the phrase "dark father" in Dutch, Lucas said. And the character
Dexter Jettster from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars," was named after Lucas's son,
Jett.

The Force Revealed

Lucas went on to describe how his
fascination with comparative mythology shaped his idea of "the Force."

"I went through all the religions
and took out the commonality in them," Lucas said. "The Force is that
commonality. So, the force is all religion."

He also spoke about the main themes
from the series, including love, greed, power and corruption.

And for the young fans in
attendance, Lucas imparted advice for those who strive to follow in his
footsteps in the movie business.

"Go to school, go to college, go to
film school," Lucas said. "Do well in school, and be mindlessly persistent."

When Stewart asked the legendary filmmaker about the impact of "Star Wars"
throughout the world, Lucas expressed his gratitude, but set his sights even
higher. He imagined the day when a human being first sets foot on the surface
of Mars.

On that day, Lucas said, he hopes
the first words are: "I've wanted to do that ever since I saw 'Star Wars'."